On holidad.

Okay, wowzers. I've been silent as the grave post-wise for the past five days. That is practically unheard of, right? Normally I can't wait to ramble at length.. Well, I've got a legitimate excuse right here - last Friday I jetted off to Madrid with some of my fellow Spanish students for a college trip, and I only got home last night at some ungodly hour. I could blog all day about how much I love Madrid, bore you all sick with endless lists of things we did, things we ate (it was a real food holiday) and how much I wish I was back there right now, but I will try to keep mindless musings to a minimum & stick to the fashion side of it.

First up is my first holiday outfit, which had to be a versatile affair since it needed to see me through a morning in college, some coach-airport-coach transit and then an evening in some kind of tapas bar.

Blazer – ASOS; Top  & Necklace – Topshop; Shorts & Cuff – H&M; Tights – Primark; Shoes – New Look.

I opted for a quick mix of some spring trends – scarf print and pastels - with my new paisley shorts, and a simple scalloped vest in my favourite colour of the season, mint green. The combination works in a way I wasn’t sure it would, probably due to the black blazer and black opaques that frame it, and the cute colour-pop slippers.

Day one was over quite quickly, lost in transit, and day two rolled around. I tried not to let being on holiday and dressing out of a suitcase lessen my style, and although I knew the weather would be good, I didn't let myself slip from trend-driven dressing to lazy-holiday style.

Blazer – ASOS; Blouse  & Shoes – Primark; Skirt – H&M; Tights – New Look; Bracelet – Temporary Secretary; Ring – Topshop; Bag – H! by Henry Holland.

Another bit of pastel confectionery burst out of my suitcase for the first full day in Madrid, this time my pleated lemon blouse and mint green shoes. I was a little unsure about doing the double pleat with this blouse & my colour-block skirt, but I think the fairly simple colour combinations made it work. This was almost a print-free outfit, until I added in my star print tights for a little bit of extra interest.

On day two we ended up hitting the Prado museum, after a bit of a walk, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. I’m no art critic, and probably would have preferred it if we went to a Prada museum, but I do admit that some of the paintings really impressed me, and we spent a fair while in there quite happily. Then came the usual gift shop frenzy, followed by a minority of the group wandering through Madrid back to our youth hostel (the others took the metro – lazy!), while we entertained ourselves looking around and adding ‘idad’ to every word. Yes, I study A2 level Spanish.

Then we went out for the evening in the red light district – not on purpose, it just happened to be the area we were staying in. I will admit we peaked too soon as we kicked off with a good jug of Sangria. This was followed by an immense amount of walking, some serious snacking, wine, and the discovery of cartons of Sangria for a little over a Euro.

We all woke up on day three pretty sleepy, ready for some coffee. Again I tried to maintain the standard of my outfits..

 

Blouse, Jeans & Sunglasses – H&M; Necklace & Shoes – New Look; Ring – Temporary Secretary.

Jeans may not have been the wisest choice for a super-sunny day in Madrid, but I really loved this combination of a bold floral shirt, shimmering metallic jeans and colour pop slippers. I did feel quite eccentric as I strolled through the streets, but maybe that's just my style. This look worked very well day-to-night though, because those metallic jeans are a little too glam for day (but can be dressed down) and are totally party-ready.

Day three consisted of an incredible amount of walking, firstly to the Plaza Mayor, then back to the hostel, then out again for lunch, more random wandering and a visit to the park. Days in Spain seem very long because nothing really gets going before lunchtime, so you can walk around for absolutely ages, and then everything stays open and buzzing until late, even the shops. After the park, we went back to the hostel again to get ready for another night on the streets of Madrid. Much like the night before, the evening consisted of Sangria, snacking and walking, only this time we ended up in a bar that we were pretty sure was a gay one. No issues with that whatsoever - besides, they mixed a good mojito.

Day four didn’t start well since we overslept and had to get ready in a rush, and I was ridiculously glad that my obsessive-compulsive planning had led to me packing pre-composed outfits for each day. 

Top – Mary Katrantzou for Topshop; Skirt – River Island; Shoes – Primark; Necklace – New Look; Bracelet – Temporary Secretary; Earrings & Ring – Topshop; Sunglasses – H&M.

By this time, I was feeling brave enough to bare my pale English legs in my favourite 50’s style skirt, paired with one of my Mary Katrantzou pieces. I love a good floral print, as you can probably tell, and I especially like how feminine I felt in this combination. Honestly, I did look feminine – just excuse the bad light of the youth hostel!

On day four we visited the Reina Sofia museum, full of modern art that was mostly incomprehensible to me. I went a little photo-crazy in there, but resisted the gift shop frenzy (okay, couldn’t find it). We then had a free afternoon to make our way back to the hostel any which way we fancied, which was basically lunch followed by another long walk. It was our last proper evening in Madrid, so even though we were tired and not really up for it, we went out again. It was a pretty funny night, again consisting of Sangria, snacks and lots of laughs.

The final day, day five, began in a bit of a packing frenzy, and I rolled out the simplest outfit of the trip..

Top, Cuff & Sunglasses – H&M; Shorts, Earrings & Ring – Topshop; Tights & Shoes – Primark; Necklace – New Look; Bag – H! by Henry Holland.

Baring a little more flesh again today, I left my shoulders bare for once. I’m not fussed about tanning, but there are occasions when I want to walk along feeling the sun on my skin. I love the cute butterfly print of this top, and the way the slouchy fit balances the uber-short shorts (tights are necessary). My mint green shoes are a bit of an unexpected colour pop, and I think I will have to get some more since this trip has pretty much battered them to death!

On our final day we went to the royal palace, and then on the last afternoon I finally got some free shopping time. It started with frozen yoghurt, churros and one final cocktail, finishing up with hitting clothes shops hard, then trying to fit everything into my suitcase. Then before I knew it we were on the coach back to college, and my mum was picking me up. I literally collapsed into bed last night.

Phew, that was a super-long post. Since I’ve already blathered on far too much I will post my scant buys another day, and just leave you with a few thoughts. Since my return to Madrid I have been thinking I could easily spend more time there, and I may just have to return soon! I am also glad that I opted out of college today, since I am suffering a severe post-holiday crash. Finally, I want to say how ridiculously excited I am for this weekend, going to see my best friend for the Kylie Minogue Anti Tour!

Oh and one last thing – if you actually made it to the end of this post, you deserve a medal! 

Amor y besos, Tara xox